Italeri Tiger I Initial Production - COMPLETE! Aug. 9th. Photos page 7

Wow, unique approach, you have already started weathering of the wheels.

Should come very out very nice.

Yes, I wanted to get the "mud" in all the places I where it should be, but I would not be able to get it in later on after assembly.

what are you using for the sand/mud?  looks good so far i thought i was done on my KT but I see some places that need to be corrected and weathered.

Carlos, I don't care what anyone says about correct dimensions or "scale zimmerit", I LOVED this kit and its plastic zimmerit! This IS that kit, isn't it? I made a killer Michael Wittman version of it using that zimm. Just thin it out a little by scrubbing the backside of it on some sheet sandpaper and you're good to go.

I don't know why this didn't catch on more--it was perfect medium and way to make zimmerit.

I have to say that I'll be curious as to how your model turns out with the "weather first" approach!

I am building the Dragon Late/Final Tiger and also opted for the AFV club tracks.  For whatever reason the Dragon magic tracks were grossly oversize, so I looked into the AFV which were cheaper than fruils (which honestly I think are overpriced) or the Modelkasten (ditto).  I knew from a little web searching that the AFV tracks would require a bit of work due to 3 ejector marks on each track, but with some Mr. Dissolved Putty and a runs of track tacked to the bench with tape I have managed to get into a rhythm.  But I am a little lucky.  The Dragon kit comes with a jig to form the loop and lead out for both idler and drive gear, which is making things a bit easier.  I am opting to glue the track runs into one solid piece to make the whole thing removable so I can paint and weather later.

So all told, I think even though a lot of work is involved the AFV tracks were actually quite a deal and they really did manage a pretty ingenious method for making them moveable.

Tracks look good from here stik! Nice progress on this one.

Shawker, I used dirt from my front yard garden- ground down and sifted until i have really really fine dirt, then I mix it with a few drops of water and some Future to give it better adhesion quality than plain old mud. This method is FAR cheaper than pigments, and I can paint it later to get whatever earth tones I choose.

Karl, this is the early version of that kit, without the zimm. I have their Panther A kit that has the zimm and was thinking of thinning it down like you did when I build it. After reading your advice to do so, I will go that way when I tackle that build. This Tiger is not a bad kit at all, and I think will look pretty decent when I am done here.

NH, yes I saw some Fruils for the Tiger at the LHS today and they were over $50!!! No thanks. I'll stick to these AFV links. Yes, there were 285 ejector pin marks to remove per side, but really it just comes down to finding your groove and going with it. 5 links at a time and I was rolling. The first side was the learning side and the second side went smoothly...

Thank you Bill, glad you like it...

Todays progress in my next post...

Well today was adding parts to earlier sub assemblies, and some scratch building....

I added most of the fiddly bits to the engine access hatch, with the exception of the Fiefel filter hoses and their brackets

and completed the driver/assistant drivers hatches

Now the kit comes with a very basic engine and some open grill work that you can see down into the hull to show....emptiness...

so what to do??? first up I had obtained some cast off Tiger parts from Jim Wechsler at AMPS (thank you sir), including the fans and radiators for the rear portions of the grills, but that still left the front part vacant. So I did a Tiger Cutaway view image search to see what should be there. It looked like some sort of fuel tanks. I had some spare T-34 external armored box tanks that were close to the correct shape, but not the proper size. So some measuring and improvising with sheet plastic and brass screen based off of the views and I had this...

and with the top deck in place (but not glued until after I paint it) and now there is something to see there- not perfect and exact, but far better than it was...

and finally some work on the turret. I replaced the sorry excuses for canteen and gas mask case with decent ones from my spares bin and added some sheet plastic to teh rear of the mount for some other goodies I will be adding...

and finally the reason for the Tiger... the barrel of the 88

I should be getting some paint on tomorrow on the interior parts...

I can see why you would want to fill those voids with something a little more substantial!

Nice workso far Stik,looks like a lot of TLC needed for this one

Not a lot is really needed... I just like doing more. I honestly think that it is a pretty decent kit for its' age OOB with the exception of the tracks. Yesterday's build session was cut short for various resons, but I did add some detial to the turret interior that will only be seen my me, you guys who see the photos here, and the guys at IPMS who use those little flashlights... like the engine stuff I added, its not perfect and exact, but it gives a little more to be seen in there...

OK, most of this work was done yesterday

sub assemblies for the turret- hatches and stowage bin

exhausts

and my finished turret interior with added gunners station, turret sidewall stowage, and recoil guard & shell catcher and co ax MG added to the main gun

also I finally found these Dragon figures as possible for sitting in the turret hatches

what do you guys think?

Turret add-ons are dressing it up pretty nicely there stik! Figures look the part, assuming you're doing this one as a DAK given their attire?

Thanks Bill. Yes I am building it as one of the DAK Tigers in Tunisia in early 1943. The one eating from the can is perfect for the TC hatch, but I am not sure about the drinking guy for the loaders hatch or not...

I have another figure in my stash in storage that will work perfect on this kit I think. I need to get over there in the next few days... today was a good airbrushing session on interior components- interior ivory, primer red, panzer gray, and satin black.

Humbrol Tank Gray/Panzer Gray on the interior surfaces of the hatches- and also in the lower hull open areas... I am having a hard time overpowering the urge to scratch build more in there... that is contagious!

primer red (Humbrol Wine Red) in the engine compartment

Humbrol Satin Black on engine components

and together

Now that it is all painted, you cant see much of anything through the grills... of course... 

The Turret interior now uniform in  MM Interior Tan/ Elfenbein

I can finish getting hull parts glued together starting tomorrow... 

More progress today... with one item being a huge step forward to completion...

well I figured since the grills are gonna let any airbrushed paint thru into my engine compartment work, that was not a good idea, so I cut up some index card to fit as masks below the grillwork... then I glued the upper hull deck and engine in place... I made them longer than needed so I can pull them out thru the turret ring...

then I drilled out the bore on the bow MG and installed the ball mount on the front upper plate

and then glued that plate in place

and finally I glued the engine access hatch in place

Tomorrow if all goes well, now that the main hull is all assembled, I ought to be able to get all the rest of the lower hull work completed... fenders, air filters, etc.

Neat trick with masking the deck grills, looking forward to seeing this old gal with paint on.

Thanks Bill. I figured out while brainstorming that issue that I could probably do something like I was able to do. There was just enough room in there to do it. I am looking forward to some paint on this too. In another week or so I guestimate...

Well all fenders and most hull fitting pretty much attached. I am holding off on pioneer tools/stowage until I decide on which turret number this tank will be. There was some variation in that on the Tigers in this unit.

I need to scratch build some brackets for the spare track shoes that were carried on the rear hull by the 501st Tigers

and I worked on the turret interior detail painting...

Monday will probably be my next major update...

Nice build and good DOF for the photos!

Thanks F8... DOF? Depth Of  Field

Some nice attention work going on here, Carlos! Smart call on that engine area---are you going to touch up that primer overspray on the rear deck?

The turret interior looks good too. Gonna add some wash in there to tone down that harsh white a bit though?

Thanks Karl. Yes, yes, and yes ;-) I gotta wait for the grills that I ordered to come in before I do the exterior colors, but there will be no trace of the red on the outside once its all painted up. I already took care of the interior areas with a brush....

Yes I already did a wash and some drybrushing in there to make it look more used. It is actually an off white Ivory color, but with the lighting at my work area and the camera flash looks almost white. I did that this morning but did not have time to get photos taken, uploaded, and posted on here before it was time to come in to work. I will do that tomorrow before I get the turret sealed up and finished.

Cool beans, Carlos! Carry on!

Lots of carrying on here today my friend....

As promised yesteday, before I was out and about on my morning errands, I took photos of the finished turret interior before it was all closed up...

then I glued the turret roof on and went about my morning/midday errands, one of which was a stop by my storage unit for these guys...

once I got home I finished up the turret

and this is what you can pretty much see thru the open turret hatches... just a bit more in person

then it was time to work on the hull... using a few references I placed the tools as best I could and replaced a few of them that I could with some Tamiya tools for a Panzer IV OVM Tool set because they were better detailed. I also added the wiring plugs for the headlights using some styrene nubs cut from parts in my spares bin

now Academy's Sherman & Tank Destroyer kits come with some beautiful detail parts that you shave off of the sprue

using those (and the handles from the kit wire cutters which I replaced) I created these toggle bolts for a cover near the hull MG mount

and I used some to make the latches for the turret bin

Initial Production Tigers used by the 501st in Africa had a hinged exhaust flap that was not included in my kit, so I raided my spares bin, modified some armored filler cap covers and glued those into place

I still need to scratch build some brackets for spare track shoes on the hull rear

and I need to scratch build some brackets/bracing for the headlights and add the wiring, and add the tow cables and engine deck grills, but as of now, this Tiger is about 97% built

WOW, some awesome detailing going on there! Those little shaveable parts ROCK! The small details are really putting this build over the top!

The turret interior looks great too. :)

Yes, this is my first time trying those shavable details. They are very sweet! I'm am glad to hear that youre liking this project.

Minor progress on the tank itself today- I made the rear hull spare track shoe brackets

and added a spare track shoe on each side of the turret based off of photos of 501st Tigers in Tunisia

and I have been working on the Tristar crew figure set. Oh those are some beautiful figures... too bad my photo of my work on them so far was so badly focused...

more to follow in a day or two... tomorrow is back to my work routine...

good progress.looks great